"Now, Boon, you and I must settle a personal matter. You know, of course, the royal party never pays cash."
"Then," said the impetuous Mr. Boon, "the deal is off!"
"Silly ass! The royal family of England always pays. You know very well that the jewels bought by King George for gifts for his coronation guests have not been paid for yet. It's all a matter of red tape. The money is as safe as the Bank of England! Any banker here would be glad to guarantee the account--only that would never do, of course. Now you know I can't take any commission. I've made you give me the lowest prices for the duke, haven't I? What?"
"If I were a bally Russian I'd have made you name a price twice the usual figure and I'd have taken the difference as a commission. It's what you Americans call graft, I believe. What?"
"Of course," said Boon, coldly, disgusted with the venal aristocracy, "we'd never have done such a--"
"Tut, tut! It's done everywhere; but not to me!" Colonel Lowther said, so sternly that Mr. Boon considered himself accused of unnamed crimes. He resented this, but, being unable to fix the exact accusation, contented himself with remarking, diplomatically:
"Yes, yes," rudely broke in the colonel, with a silencing wave of his gloved hand. "Now I can myself pay you in cash for whatever the duke buys--say, up to twenty thousand or twenty-five thousand pounds. For advancing this money, which will not be paid to me for months, I ask you to allow me a half-year's interest. That," finished Colonel Lowther, impressively, "is banking. What?"
"Then, Mr. Welch, Boon, or whatever your name is, I wish you a very good morning!"
"But we'll allow you interest at the rate of six per cent, a year."
"But I myself have to pay five for the use--ah!--that is--er--" floundered the Englishman. Mr. Boon perceived instantly that the colonel borrowed the money from Canadian bankers at five per cent, and got ten per cent. It was not a bad scheme for high-class aristocratic graft! Even a jeweler could philosophize about wilful self-delusion, the point of view, custom, and so on. "Make it seven per cent. What?"
Mr. Boon could not help admiring the persistency of the Englishman in coating his graft-pills with the sugar of legitimacy. Doubtless the colonel had really convinced himself this was not graft!